Double-wall blow molded carton

ABSTRACT

This invention resides in an improved collapsible carton having a body formed of a double-wall blank of semi-rigid molded material with side sections pivotally mounted on a bottom section for movement to an upright position with respect to the bottom section. The side edges of the side sections are tapered for abutting an adjacent side section and forming a corner of the carton. Each side section adjacent a corner has a groove aligned with a protrusion extending from the lower portion of the side section and into a recessed area in the bottom section in the erected condition of the carton with a U-shaped fastener removably positioned in the associated grooves and extending across the respective corner.

United States Patent 1 1 Wilson 1 DOUBLE-WALL BLOW MOLDED CARTON Newton R. Wilson, Bartlesville, Okla.

[75] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company,

Bartlesville, Okla.

22 Filed: Oct. 4, 1972 211 App1.No.:294,991

[52] US. Cl. 220/7; 206/512; 220/62;

[51] Int. Cl..,.. B65d 7/22; B65d 11/16; 865d 11/18 [58] Field of Search r. 220/7, 9 R, 75, 97 R, 97 B, 220/62, 77; 229/30, 49, DIG. 11; 217/15, 47,

[ 51 Sept. 9, 1975 Primary Examiner-William 1. Price Assistant ExaminerStephen Marcus 5 7] ABSTRACT This invention resides in an improved collapsible carton having a body formed of a double-wall blank of semi-rigid molded material with side sections pivotally mounted on a bottom section for movement to an upright position with respect to the bottom section. The side edges of the side sections are tapered for abutting an adjacent side section and forming a corner of the carton. Each side section adjacent a corner has a groove aligned with a protrusion extending from the lower portion of the side section and into a recessed area in the bottom section in the erected condition of the carton with a U-shaped fastener removably positioned in the associated grooves and extending across the respective corner.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures DOUBLE-WALL BLOW MOLDED CARTON In the construction of a collapsible, blow molded, double-wall carton, it is desirable to provide corners which can be locked more easily and efficiently, can be constructed with the decreased labor, equipment, and materials and which carton will possess improved load supporting characteristics.

This invention therefore resides in an improved collapsible carton having a body formed from a blank of double-wall semi-rigid moldable material with side sections pivotally mounted on a bottom section for movement to an upright position with respect to the bottom section. The side edges of the side sections are tapered for abutting an adjacent side section and forming a corner of the carton. Each side section adjacent a corner has a groove aligned with a protrusion extending from the lower portion of the side section and into a recessed area in the bottom section in the erected condition of the carton with a U-shaped fastener removably positioned in the associated grooves and extending across the respective corner.

Other aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention are apparent from a study of this disclosure, the appended claims, and the drawings.

The drawings are diagrammatic views of the carton of this invention. FIG. 1 shows a view of a carton in the elected condition, FIG. 2 shows a top view of the carton in the collapsed condition of the carton, FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of the carton in the collapsed position of the carton, and FIG. 4 shows a partial section of a portion of the carton.

With respect to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, a carton constructed according to this invention is seen to include a base, or bottom section 11, and four side walls 12, 13, I4, and 15. The carton 10 is collapsible to a flat position as shown in FIG. 2. The blank 10 is a relative flat article with the side walls, 12, 13, 14, and lying in the same plane as the bottom 11. The bottom 11 and side walls, 12-15 are of double wall construction, better seen in FIG. 4, which lends properties of strength and ruggedness to the assembled carton. Each of the side walls, 12-15 are pivotally connected to the bottom section 11 by means of integral webs 17, 18, 19, and 20, respectively, which once flexed serve as hinges. The side walls 12-15 are movable about their respective hinges to an upright position wherein each is disposed substantially perpendicularly to the bottom 11. In the upright, erected position, the edges of each side wall 12-15 mate with the edges of adjacent side walls 12-15, forming comers. The walls 12-15 and bottom section 11 are provided with tapered edges so that the assembled carton defines an interior volume in the form of a rectangular prism. Each corner defined by the mating edges is flanked by a pair of longitudinally extending grooves 21 formed in the outer surface of side walls 12-15 and terminating at a shoulder 40. Each of said shoulders 40 is aligned with and abutting a respective corresponding protrusion 23 formed on the lower portion 24 of said side sections 12, 13, 14, 15 and extending into, contacting and resting upon a corresponding recess 25 in the bottom section 11 in the erected condition of the carton.

The walls 12-15 are maintained in the erected upright position by means of four fasteners 22. Each fastener 22 is of a U configuration having a middle portion 42 and is formed of relatively rigid, preferably resiliant material, preferably metal. The fasteners 22 are of a length relative to the associated grooves 21', 21 for extending from the groove shoulder 40'. 40 to an elevation higher than the side sections 12, 13, 14, 15. Each of the fasteners 22 is extended across a corner and removably positioned in the associated grooves 21, 21 of a corner portion 26 of the carton, resting upon the associated shoulders 40 defining the lower end of the grooves of the associated side sections 12-15, for example, with the protrusions 23 extending into their corresponding respective recess 25, of the bottom section 11. The edges (E) of the side sections of the carton each have a recess 27 formed at each corner portion 26 for receiving an associated fastener 22 and positioning the middle portion 42 of the fastener spaced from said corner portion 26 in the carton erected condition. Unless the fastener is so raised relative to the surface of upper edge E and the top surface of the recessed comer portion of the load bearing strength of the erected carton will be greatly decreased.

Flanges 28 extend upwardly from an outer surface of the side sections 12-15 to an elevation higher than the upper edges (E) of said side section in the erected condition of said carton for alignment purposes and for forming walls for retaining a container of similar dimensions thereover. The flanges 28 can be formed as a portion of the carton or formed separately therefrom and attached to the carton. The flanges 28 are preferably located adjacent the tapered edges of each side section 12-15, as shown in FIG. 1.

The mold halves can be constructed and the carton can be formed similarly to the formation described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,544,021. In that construction, the carton will be double walled as shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 3 the bottom 11 is provided with cylindrically shaped recesses 31 and the side walls 14 and 15 are each provided with rectangularly shaped recesses 32. The recesses 31 and 32 add strength and rigidity to the structure. Each of the side walls 12 and 13 which in this embodiment constitute the carton end walls, have formed therein a recess 34 which provides a means for gripping the carton 10.

Other modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing discussion and accompanying drawings, and it should be understood that this invention is not to be unduly limited thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In a collapsible carton having a body formed from a blank of semi-rigid moldable material, said body including a bottom and at least four side sections, said sections being of double-wall construction, each of said side sections being integrally, pivotally joined with said bottom section with each of said side sections being pivotably movable to an upright position with respect to said bottom section, each of said side sections in said upright position being angularly disposed with respect to adjacent side sections with side edges of each adjacent side section abutting an adjacent side section and therewith forming a corner in the erected position, the improvement comprising:

each side section having a groove formed on the outer surface thereof adjacent each side edge, said grooves each extending substantially parallel to its respective side edge and terminating at a groove shoulder aligned with and abutting a respective protrusion extending below said side sections a sufficient distance so that when the carton is in an erected condition said protrusion will extend into and contact a respective recess in the bottom section; and

a fastener of a U configuration having a middle portion extending across the top of each respective corner, each fastener being slidably engaged and removably positioned in the associated grooves of a corner in contact with the shoulders of the grooves and being of a length sufficient for extending from the shoulder to an elevation higher than the side sections.

2. A carton, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the edges of the side sections of the carton have a recess formed at each corner portion, said recess being of a depth suf' ficient for spacing the corner portion from the middle portion of the fastener in the erected condition of the carton.

3. A carton, as set forth in claim 1, including flanges extending upwardly from an outer surface of the side sections to an elevation higher than the upper edges of said side sections and said fasteners in the erected condition of said carton for forming walls for aligning and retaining a carton of similar dimensions thereover.

4. A carton, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the edges of the ends of the sides which meet in erected position are tapered inwardly towards the inside of the carton so that the faces of the tapered surfaces meet to form a joint and wherein the flanges are located adjacent the tapered edges of the side sections and the edges of the bottom of the side walls and the edges of the sides of the bottom section are tapered so that when the carton is assembled said tapered edges mate in a manner such that the outside surface of the side walls and the bottomside surface of the bottom section join to define the bottom edges of the carton.

5. A carton, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the fasteners are constructed of metal.

6. A carton as set forth in claim 1, wherein the protrusions are positioned such that they appear to be tubular extensions of the grooves.

7. A carton as set forth in claim 6 where the top edges of the side sections of the carton have a recess formed at each corner portion such that the middle portion of the fastener does not contact the side section.

8. A collapsible carton adapted to lie substantially flat in its collapsed state and having sides adapted to abut in their vertical position with adjacent side sections to form comers of the canon, each side section having a groove formed on the outer surface thereof adjacent each side edge, said groove terminating at a groove shoulder, each groove shoulder having aligned and butting therewith a protrusion extending below said side section a sufficient distance so that when the carton is in an erected condition, said protrusion will extend into and contact a respective recess in the bottom section, each corner of said carton being held together by a U-shaped fastener extending across the top of said corner, its legs being slidably and removably engaged in the grooves adjacent each corner, said fastener legs being of length sufficient to insure that the ends of the legs contact the groove shoulder and that the middle portion of the fasteners extend above the side sections. 

1. In a collapsible carton having a body formed from a blank of semi-rigid moldable material, said body including a bottom and at least four side sections, said sections being of double-wall construction, each of said side sections being integrally, pivotally joined with said bottom section with each of said side sections being pivotably movable to an upright position with respect to said bottom section, each of said side sections in said upright position being angularly disposed with respect to adjacent side sections with side edges of eaCh adjacent side section abutting an adjacent side section and therewith forming a corner in the erected position, the improvement comprising: each side section having a groove formed on the outer surface thereof adjacent each side edge, said grooves each extending substantially parallel to its respective side edge and terminating at a groove shoulder aligned with and abutting a respective protrusion extending below said side sections a sufficient distance so that when the carton is in an erected condition said protrusion will extend into and contact a respective recess in the bottom section; and a fastener of a U configuration having a middle portion extending across the top of each respective corner, each fastener being slidably engaged and removably positioned in the associated grooves of a corner in contact with the shoulders of the grooves and being of a length sufficient for extending from the shoulder to an elevation higher than the side sections.
 2. A carton, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the edges of the side sections of the carton have a recess formed at each corner portion, said recess being of a depth sufficient for spacing the corner portion from the middle portion of the fastener in the erected condition of the carton.
 3. A carton, as set forth in claim 1, including flanges extending upwardly from an outer surface of the side sections to an elevation higher than the upper edges of said side sections and said fasteners in the erected condition of said carton for forming walls for aligning and retaining a carton of similar dimensions thereover.
 4. A carton, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the edges of the ends of the sides which meet in erected position are tapered inwardly towards the inside of the carton so that the faces of the tapered surfaces meet to form a joint and wherein the flanges are located adjacent the tapered edges of the side sections and the edges of the bottom of the side walls and the edges of the sides of the bottom section are tapered so that when the carton is assembled said tapered edges mate in a manner such that the outside surface of the side walls and the bottomside surface of the bottom section join to define the bottom edges of the carton.
 5. A carton, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the fasteners are constructed of metal.
 6. A carton as set forth in claim 1, wherein the protrusions are positioned such that they appear to be tubular extensions of the grooves.
 7. A carton as set forth in claim 6 where the top edges of the side sections of the carton have a recess formed at each corner portion such that the middle portion of the fastener does not contact the side section.
 8. A collapsible carton adapted to lie substantially flat in its collapsed state and having sides adapted to abut in their vertical position with adjacent side sections to form corners of the carton, each side section having a groove formed on the outer surface thereof adjacent each side edge, said groove terminating at a groove shoulder, each groove shoulder having aligned and butting therewith a protrusion extending below said side section a sufficient distance so that when the carton is in an erected condition, said protrusion will extend into and contact a respective recess in the bottom section, each corner of said carton being held together by a U-shaped fastener extending across the top of said corner, its legs being slidably and removably engaged in the grooves adjacent each corner, said fastener legs being of length sufficient to insure that the ends of the legs contact the groove shoulder and that the middle portion of the fasteners extend above the side sections. 